


And May the Spirits Guide You Home

by songbook



Series: The Kyalin Collection [6]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Day 3: Tired, F/F, Kyalin Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27517645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songbook/pseuds/songbook
Summary: "I'm tired, Lin."
Relationships: Background: - Relationship, Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Jinora/Kai (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Lin Beifong/Kya II, Mako/OC, Pema/Tenzin (Avatar)
Series: The Kyalin Collection [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807093
Comments: 68
Kudos: 144
Collections: KyaLin Week 2020





	And May the Spirits Guide You Home

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for Day 3 of Kyalin Week 2020. It does fit in the Kyalin Collection with Elusive Spirits & Spirits Intertwined, but you don't have to read either one to enjoy this one.

“I’m tired, Lin.”

The words didn’t come as a surprise, but she felt the pain in her heart, nonetheless. At ninety-three years old, Kya had lived more than most people did during their lifetime. She had taken ill three weeks ago, and Lin had brought her back to the Southern Water Tribe for treatment. But they both had known it would probably be the last trip they ever took together.

Lin slipped her own pale fingers through Kya’s weathered hands. The waterbender had been so frail for the last year or so, but this illness had really taken the wind out of her. Even her blue eyes had lost their oceanic quality. Of course, spending nearly a hundred years on this earth would weigh you down after a while. Neither of them was the woman they had been in their youth; or even who they had been ten years ago.

Time was coming for them and now, the spirits were ready to bring a daughter of the moon home. Lin could only watch as the love of her life began to fade. Even she wasn’t untouched by time: the silver cane leaning against her chair was an indication of that.

Lin hadn’t been prepared for this though. How could she had known she would outlive Kya? If she was being honest, she hadn’t ever expected to reach the age of eight-nine. It didn’t seem right that after all she had done in her life, that she would survive Kya. But it would seem that now she would be facing a future without her partner. She squeezed Kya’s hand tighter, as if she could anchor her to this world.

“Lin…” Even Kya’s voice was tired. Lin tried to blink back the tears before she looked Kya in the eyes. How long had she been by Kya’s side, just to be unable to help her now? “My love…I’m so tired.”

“I know…” Lin admitted. And it wasn’t fair, to make her hold on just because Lin couldn’t face the world without her. Kya was waiting for permission to let go. Lin knew that she had been fighting this illness long enough to see the rest of her family; and Ikki’s husband had arrived with their three children yesterday.

Jinora and Kai had been here for four days and Meelo had arrived the day before. Ikki and her wife had arrived a few days before their husband and children joined them. Jinora and Kai’s eldest daughter had two children of her own, but they were still in the Eastern Air Temple. Their other two children had joined them as well. It seemed the entire family had converged on the Southern Water Tribe, knowing that this would be their beloved aunt's last days. 

“I love you,” whispered Kya and she brought their joined hands to her face to place a shaking kiss to the back of Lin’s hand.

Lin pushed herself into a standing position and leaned over to kiss her lover properly, one last time. “I love you, too.”

There was a smile on Kya’s lips as she closed her eyes. Thin, silver hair was spread across the pillow. Crisp, clean, white sheets blanketed over her body and a blue knit woolen blanket, curtesy of Pema, kept her warm. Lin had to rearrange the furs that were across her own legs when she took her seat once again by Kya’s bedside.

Lin watched as the rise and fall of Kya’s chest began to slow, before stopping completely. Lin let out a gasp of grief and clutched at Kya’s still hand. She couldn’t feel her heartbeat anymore. After all these years, the rhythm was gone; the silence was deafening. Even knowing that Kya was slipping away couldn’t prepare her for the loss of her other half. After all these years, she was alone.

At first, she just sat there, holding Kya’s hand. She should probably cry, or scream in grief, or perhaps go fetch someone to tend to Kya’s body. But instead she sat, in the silence, with only her own heartbeat to keep her company. This would be her life now, for as long as she had left.

“Aunt Lin?”

Opal was at the door, her first grandchild on her hip. She and her daughter had accompanied Lin and Kya from Republic City to the South Pole. The teenager that Lin had met over thirty years ago had grown into a beautiful woman who looked so much like her mother. Lin often thought that Opal resembled her own grandmother. The Beifong gene was strong.

Lin knew she should say something, but there were no words. Everyone knew that Kya could leave them at any moment. This wouldn’t come as a shock. But the words didn’t come. Lin remained hunched over, trying to come to terms with her loss.

Surprisingly, she felt Opal leave the room, only to return only a minute later. She had left the child, assumingly with her daughter, and brought Jinora back with her. Jinora walked to the other side of the bed, taking Kya’s limp wrist into her hand. She gave a little shake of her head to Opal and then pressed a kiss to her beloved aunt’s forehead.

“Aunt Lin, would you like to come with me?” Opal’s voice was soft, like one would speak to a child.

Even Jinora was regarding her with sad eyes. In her head, Lin knew they needed to clean and prepare the body for her final journey to the sea. Jinora would take good care of her, Lin knew. Over the years, they had grown close, over a love of history and books. Jinora had embraced the leadership of the Air Nation, taking a lot of her father’s shoulders.

Still, Lin couldn’t find herself to speak to her nieces. There was a weight settling on her chest. Kya was dead; she was gone. Lin was alone. The two women exchanged a series of silent communications before Opal left again. Jinora waited patiently on the other side of the bed while Lin mourned the love of her life.

“Lin.” A firm hand settled on her shoulder. She had felt Tenzin enter the room. His voice shook with emotion as he said, “It’s time to let her go.”

“I’m not ready.”

“I know.” He picked up the silver cane and held it out for her to take. “But they need to take care of her.”

Lin looked up. Jinora still hovered across the bed and Opal had rejoined them. But now, Korra stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Kya’s body. To Lin, the Avatar had never truly aged, but was now about the same age that Lin had been when they had first met. She hadn’t even known Korra had made it to the South Pole.

Korra stepped around to the side of the bed that Jinora occupied, giving her friend a gentle pat on the shoulder. Then she placed her hand over Kya’s heart and whispered, “Be at peace, my darling daughter.”

Tenzin took a deep breath and held on to Lin’s shoulder even tighter. Lin felt the tears coming now: Aang would guide his daughter to the spirit world. She accepted the cane from Tenzin, but as soon as she was on her feet, she fell into his arms. The two old friends clung to each, both unafraid of the tears to come. Lin was physically shaking, and Tenzin did all he could to keep her upright.

When Tenzin’s robes were well soaked through with her tears, Lin felt strong enough to pull away. The small room was crowded with family now. Kai had joined his wife’s side with their son. Meelo stood stock still in a corner, staring at his aunt’s body. Ikki stood between her husband and wife at the foot of the bed, both of them offering her comfort. The children must be in the other room with Opal’s daughter.

Korra had disappeared, but in her place was a peppered haired Mako. The Chief of Police approached her with a serious look on his face. “Come on, now, Chief. Let me take you to your room.”

Tenzin wiped his tears away, ready to hand her over to the younger man. But for some reason, Lin was hesitant to release him as she had been Kya. But he deserved to grieve his sister. Pema had appeared beside them both, giving Lin a soft kiss on the cheek, before collecting her husband.

Mako offered his arm to Lin, and she leaned on him instead of her cane. Slowly, he led her out of the room and away from Kya. A panic overtook her: she was leaving Kya. Mako sensed her distress and moved his arm to go around her shoulders instead.

“Let them take care of her now, Chief. You’ve done all you can.” Firmly, he guided her from the room. They met Bolin as they entered the hallway, but Lin was so distracted that she didn’t hear a word the man said.

Mako brought her to her room, only a few doors down. Lin stood in the middle of the room, still overwhelmed by her emotions. But suddenly, the silence was too much to bear and she muttered, “You should be in Republic City.”

“I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, Chief.” His amber eyes stared back at her seriously. “Soraya will be here tomorrow. And when you’re ready, we will take you back to Republic City.”

Lin glared at him. Kya was here. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You hate the cold.” Mako raised his eyebrow. But his voice was gentle when he added, “And Kya will be with you no matter where you are. We don’t have to leave any time soon. I just wanted to let you know that we would take you home.”

“There are people…” Lin knew she should be sending word that Kya had passed. So many people would be affected by her death.

“Asami has already started calling everyone. Larra and Koya are helping her.” Asami must have brought Korra in on one of her private planes; Larra was their eldest child. Koya was Jinora and Kai’s youngest. Lin was confident they could handle it; and it was a relief that the responsibility did not fall to her. “They already called Suyin. Huan is bringing her first thing in the morning.”

The silence was back. Lin reached out with her seismic sense, listening to Mako’s heartbeat. Closing her eyes, she could feel them all, moving about the house: Kya’s family. _Her family._ But not Kya. Oh, spirits, Kya was gone. She clutched the cane in front of her, trying to ground herself in reality.

“Do you want to sit down?” asked Mako gently. There was no judgement on his face as he watched the tears begin to well up in her eyes again. Lin didn’t care for crying; it seemed like a waste of energy. And yet, it was all she could do right now.

Mako crossed the room, slipped his arms around her shoulders, and placed a kiss to the top of her head. Then he guided her to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. She sat down tentatively trying to stop the onslaught of sorrow that was creeping into her body. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way: Lin had always intended on dying first. What was she supposed to do now?

An undetermined amount of time passed as Lin sat in the rocking chair. She was aware of Opal coming and going and that at some point someone brought her some soup. It took Ikki’s twelve-year-old son bringing her some buns to get her to eat at all that night. Mako was in and out throughout the evening and Tenzin came to sit with her for a while as dusk settled on the South Pole.

Opal and her daughter, Seya, had helped her get ready for bed. Lin had been sleeping alone for the majority of the visit, as Kya had been too sick to share a bed. The healers had needed to be able to access her at all times and Lin worried that she would keep her from resting. But now the bed was cold and empty.

Lin was certain she would never fall asleep, but it was her sister who woke her as the new day dawned. At eighty-three, Suyin was still has spry as their mother had been at that age. But today, she was more subdued than Lin had ever seen her, with the exception of their mother’s death. It took Lin a few moments to realize that Suyin’s grief was not just for the loss of her friend, but for the pain her sister was in.

The feeling that everyone was walking on eggshells around her was something that Lin was unaccustomed to. Silence met her at every turn, but it seemed everyone wanted to hug her. It took Huan acting as a human shield to give her some peace. He became her shadow for the next few days.

And at Kya’s funeral, there on the shore of Harbor City, it was Huan and Mako who sat stoically on either side of her. At some point during the entirely too long service, or pageantry as Lin later called it, Opal’s granddaughter had climbed into her lap. Seya was extremely apologetic but cradling the toddler had given Lin something to focus on during the service.

So many people had something to say about her love. Tenzin spoke briefly and Jinora gave a moving eulogy. The rest were old friends or important dignitaries paying their respects. Lin would have rather been anywhere else at the time. Seeing Kya, dressed in her mother’s colors, a red sash across her torso as an honor to her father and all she had given to the Air Nation, was overwhelming. It was the quiet moments with Kya that she had loved this best; this crowd was a bit claustrophobic. 

After the service, Mako and Huan made sure that she had time by herself. Kya’s body would be given to the sea under the full moon, so Lin would have a little time with her still. They had arranged her body on a stone altar and that’s where Lin stood, staring not at her lover, but at the ocean beyond. Lin wondered briefly, if she walked out into the water, if she would be able to feel Kya’s heartbeat again.

The world was so quiet now. Everything was so quiet without Kya. It was exhausting, still living without her. Lin didn’t want to face their apartment in Republic City. Forty years by someone’s side was a long time; it seemed unfair to have it ripped away like this. Lin didn’t even know if she knew how to live without Kya.

She felt Tenzin approaching; apparently her boys had decided that he was worthy of entering her reverie. The air around her warmed instantly at his presence, but today, she would have preferred the cold. Tenzin’s eyes were on his sister. His words were kind when he asked, “How are you, Lin?”

“Tired.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so very sorry. Please don't hate me. (But if you do, be sure to let me know in the reviews).


End file.
